Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Nexon's Combat Arms launches today, tournament to follow at E for All Expo]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/nexons-combat-arms-launches-today-tournament-to-follow-at-e-fo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/nexons-combat-arms-launches-today-tournament-to-follow-at-e-fo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/01/nexons-combat-arms-launches-today-tournament-to-follow-at-e-fo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


Today marks the commercial launch of Nexon's newest title, Combat Arms, a free-to-play hybrid first person shooter/MMO. If the words 'free-to-play' make you cringe, have a look at the trailers on their main page, which show gameplay and customization options. You might just change your mind. While Combat Arms is heavier on the first person shooter end of the spectrum, the title has many of the elements we've come to like about MMOs -- rank rewards, in-game currency and massively multiplayer social aspects are all tied into the game. (Combat Arms has a cash economy called the "Black Market" but it's not necessary to purchase anything to play the game.) Be sure to check out Joystiq's hands-on with Combat Arms for a closer look at the title and a brief interview with Nexon about the game's features.

Timed with the commercial launch of the title is Nexon's Combat Arms Tournament with Pandora's Mighty Soldiers (PMS Clan), to be held on October 4th at the E for All Expo. Pandora's Mighty Soldiers are said to be the world's largest multi-platform online female gaming group, with divisions for PC and each console on the market. If competitors can handle PMS, the tournament prizes will include Nexon game cards, t-shirts, DVDs, and an assortment of Razer gear. PMS will definitely make you work for it though.

MassivelyNexon's Combat Arms launches today, tournament to follow at E for All Expo originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>black-marketcombat-armscustomizatione-for-alle-for-all-expo-2008f2pfpsfree-to-playjoystiqmmo-industrymmofpsnew-titlesnexonpandoras-mighty-soldierspmspms-clantournamentwarWed, 01 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Warhammer dev: "It's time to iterate"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/warhammer-dev-its-time-to-iterate/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/warhammer-dev-its-time-to-iterate/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/warhammer-dev-its-time-to-iterate/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

MMO Gamer has a great interview up with Josh Drescher, Senior Game Designer on Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, or WAR, as I like to call it. The two got to chat at E for All (the same place where our own Barb D. got to play the game), and Drescher gives a pretty good inside look at what it's like to be the team in charge of making the game that everyone but EA suspects might try to "kick WoW's arse."

First up: the delay. Drescher doesn't go as far as Marc Jacobs in saying the delay was planned all along, but he does say that it was time to cool their jets and focus on what they had already, rather than bringing new stuff into the game. Drescher also touches on the "Realm vs. Realm" aspect of the PvP, and says he's excited to have a game where war is ongoing and front lines matter.

Unfortunately, there are a few MMO conventions that even WAR can't get away from-- the starter quests are still FedEx and rat killing, and you can't actually go run and PvP right away. As Drescher so wittily puts it, "There's a Scrabble game in 1/3 of all American homes and yet new copies of it still ship with instructions." He also says that they are aiming for a fairly traditional PvP balance-- "not quite the paper-rock-scissors thing... [but] we're not going to give someone who can do a ton of damage heavy armor also." There is still some innovation, however-- high level players in lowbie areas will apparently get turned into chickens. Sounds good to me! Definitely check out the interview if you're at all interested in how WAR is turning out so far.

MassivelyWarhammer dev: "It's time to iterate" originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chickense-for-allea-mythicfedex-questspvprat-killerrealm-vs-realmrvrscrabblewarwarhammer-onlineThu, 08 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Warhammer Online hands-on]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/warhammer-online-hands-on/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/warhammer-online-hands-on/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/warhammer-online-hands-on/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,


The beta may be closed now, but we were lucky enough to get our mitts on Warhammer Online at EA's booth at E for All recently. We were only able to access lowbie characters and starting area content, so unfortunately weren't able to experience some of the juicier RvR content that awaits characters later in the game -- but a few hours' worth of exploring several zones and spending some time with a handful of Warhammer's 24 careers left us pretty excited to see what else is in store when this launches.

Initial impression: the game looks gorgeous. The environments are lush, detailed, compelling, immersive. The art style is unique -- not as "cartoonish" as WoW but not photo-realistic either... unique. The combat animations are dynamic and diverse for characters and NPCs alike. The several zones we saw were populated with a diverse assortment of nasties to beat on, interesting landmarks and scenery, and a general feeling that there's a lot of action going on around you -- there's a huge war on, and Warhammer manages to convey a sense of generalized anxiety and excitement that makes it difficult to forget that you're in this world with one primary duty: to smash faces.

Gallery: Warhammer Online: E for All 2007

Continue reading Warhammer Online hands-on

MassivelyWarhammer Online hands-on originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>careerschosene-for-allea-mythicfeaturedhands-onjoystiqfeaturesmaguspreviewsRvRshamanwarhammerwitch-hunterFri, 02 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Warhammer Online hands-on time at E for All]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/25/warhammer-online-hands-on-time-at-e-for-all/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/25/warhammer-online-hands-on-time-at-e-for-all/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/25/warhammer-online-hands-on-time-at-e-for-all/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

WanderingGoblin.com has posted their extensive impressions of some time spent with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning whilst at the recent E for All event. Seeing as no one else gets to play Warhammer at the moment, the hands-on may provide a much needed hit for anyone experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

The article discusses various aspects of the game. There is a breakdown of some of the standout classes, of which the Warrior Priest sounds quite interesting. It is also noted that the two factions in the game, Destruction and Order (referred to as Chaos and Order in the article), do not simply contain identical classes with different names. This has weighty player-versus-player balance implications, and you can be sure that the game's forums will consist mostly of threads beginning with "___ class is OP!", followed by "It's fine, lrn2play", but it is a bold move nevertheless.

Speaking of PvP, it seems that EA Mythic prefers to call it Realm vs Realm or RvR, which hearkens back to Mythic's much earlier MMO Dark Age of Camelot. The article includes a reminder that players will gain leveling experience and loot by killing other players, a concept which should tickle the fancy of anyone fond of PvP. The full article is linked below and contains much more about WanderingGoblin's time with with Warhammer at E for All.

MassivelyWarhammer Online hands-on time at E for All originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-reckoningdemoe-for-allEA-Mythichands-onMythicplayer-versus-playerplayer-vs-playerpvprealm-versus-realmrealm-vs-realmRvRwarhammerThu, 25 Oct 2007 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[E for All galleries]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/e-for-all-galleries/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/e-for-all-galleries/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/23/e-for-all-galleries/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


We had a chance to hit up the inaugural year for E for All in Los Angeles, and while turnout wasn't so hot, there were a few goodies we were able to get our hands on. We collated the MMO-related shots for a Massively-flavored E for All gallery:

Gallery: E for All Gallery



We also offer a screenshot gallery from the time we got to spend with Warhammer Online:

Gallery: Warhammer Online: E for All 2007



And some initial screenshots from the upcoming title from Avatar Reality, Blue Mars:

Gallery: Blue Mars



For the full mega-gallery featuring your required dosage of cosplay and Rock Band almost-stars, check out the complete Joystiq E for All gallery:

Gallery: E for All 2007

MassivelyE for All galleries originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avatar-realitye-for-alle-for-all-2007ea-mythicmindarkwarhammerTue, 23 Oct 2007 12:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Blue Mars - blurring the boundary between MMOG and virtual world]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/17/blue-mars-blurring-the-boundary-between-mmog-and-virtual-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/17/blue-mars-blurring-the-boundary-between-mmog-and-virtual-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/10/17/blue-mars-blurring-the-boundary-between-mmog-and-virtual-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Does the name Kazuyuki Hashimoto ring a bell? He was Chief Technology Officer for Square USA for five years, was Vice President of New Technology and Platforms at Electronic Arts for 4 years, and spent seven years as the Senior Vice President of R&D at Square where he worked on the CG segments and cutscenes in the legendary Final Fantasy VII.

Along with Li-Han Chen - whose background includes Project Manager (Sony Online Entertainment), VP of engineering (AtGames Inc), Senior Programmer (Squaresoft), Senior Programmer (Dreamworks) - Hashimoto heads up the Honolulu-based Avatar Reality Inc, and their new MMOG, Blue Mars.

Continue reading Blue Mars - blurring the boundary between MMOG and virtual world

MassivelyBlue Mars - blurring the boundary between MMOG and virtual world originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atgames-incavatar-reality-incblue-marscryengine2crytekdreamworkse-for-allelectronic-artsfinal-fantasykazuyuki-hashimotoli-han-chenMMOsony-online-entertainmentsquaresquare-usathe-spirits-withinvirtual-worldWed, 17 Oct 2007 22:00:00 EST